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March 18, 2011 7:51 AM   Subscribe

Jesse Heiman, World's Greatest Extra. According to myth, he has appeared in every movie and tv show ever created. (via)
posted by phaedon (44 comments total) 7 users marked this as a favorite
 
I smell a photoshope jesse heiman into evereything meme aprroaching on the north wind.
posted by Jon_Evil at 7:58 AM on March 18, 2011 [4 favorites]


Best imdb credit:

Spider-Man
Spectator at the scholl's fight.
posted by phunniemee at 7:59 AM on March 18, 2011


He's turning himself into the human 'Wilhelm Scream'.
posted by chambers at 8:00 AM on March 18, 2011 [7 favorites]


awesome legacy. Now, how does something like this happen? He's just very persistent?
posted by milestogo at 8:01 AM on March 18, 2011


Name a movie or TV show and there's a pretty good chance that the Rojo Caliente-approved gingefro on Jesse's head has been in it. The Social Network? Yup, ho was in that. Glee? Already did that shit. The Rules of Attraction? Done!

Jesse has over 50 credits to his name...


Only 50 movies and TV shows in 100 years. Hollywood is slower than I realized.
posted by DU at 8:05 AM on March 18, 2011 [1 favorite]


Now, how does something like this happen?

He's got a very distinctive head. I suspect that's the kind of thing that gets you a lot of extra work.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 8:10 AM on March 18, 2011


He's still got a long way to go to pass Samuel L. Jackson (132 titles as an actor according to IMDB)

Anyone want to figure out how many titles they've been in together?
posted by papercrane at 8:10 AM on March 18, 2011


Is not John Wayne the actor with the most film credits? Something like 140+ films?
posted by Fizz at 8:12 AM on March 18, 2011


Holy crap - Monopoly Game Piece Thief, Student on Couch, Streaking Pledge, Beer Bong Student, and Mondo Gelato Customer. All he needs to do is tackle Hamlet and he'll have played all of the great acting roles.
posted by Slack-a-gogo at 8:13 AM on March 18, 2011 [3 favorites]


This is Heiman's youtube channel.
posted by zarq at 8:13 AM on March 18, 2011


He did a Q&A on reddit.com yesterday after this video hit the frontpage there.
posted by Ask Ives at 8:14 AM on March 18, 2011 [2 favorites]


Fizz: "Is not John Wayne the actor with the most film credits? Something like 140+ films?"

As a leading man, yes. Mel Blanc had over 700 credited roles in films as a voice actor.
posted by zarq at 8:15 AM on March 18, 2011


Fizz: "Is not John Wayne the actor with the most film credits? Something like 140+ films"

Christopher Lee has 195 Film credits.
posted by octothorpe at 8:15 AM on March 18, 2011


Is not John Wayne the actor with the most film credits? Something like 140+ films?

Frank Welker has 629 acting credits. Sure, it's cartoon voices, but he's got the biggest IMDB list that I've ever run across.
posted by AzraelBrown at 8:15 AM on March 18, 2011


So I guess there goes the whole quality versus quantity thing.
posted by Fizz at 8:16 AM on March 18, 2011


A friend of mine was an extra in BSG and a few other "made in Vancouver" TV shows and films.

That is all.
posted by blue_beetle at 8:19 AM on March 18, 2011


My brother was almost a stormtrooper for Episode 1.

::cough::
posted by LordSludge at 8:25 AM on March 18, 2011


My old house is in Sunshine Cleaning.
posted by The Winsome Parker Lewis at 8:27 AM on March 18, 2011 [1 favorite]


Always used to enjoy spotting Big Ron whenever he turned up on British television (usually East Enders)

I remember an interview with a guy who, as an extra, played three different people in one street scene in a BBC historical drama.... drove a vintage car across the background in one direction, swapped hat and coat grabbed a bike and cycled back, then swapped hat and coat again and walked back again. I suspect this thing goes on a lot in low budget dramas.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 8:27 AM on March 18, 2011 [5 favorites]


I noticed him most prominently as Fernando in "Chuck". Then I started seeing him everywhere. Must feel really normal walking into a Burbank McDonald's and seeing him ordering a Big Mac. Like, of course he'd be in the background of real life, too.
posted by inturnaround at 8:27 AM on March 18, 2011 [1 favorite]


fearfulsymmetry: Always used to enjoy spotting Big Ron whenever he turned up on British television (usually East Enders)

I'll see your Big Ron and raise you a Winston. The best thing about extras in British soap operas is that they usually don't have an Equity card, which means that under union rules they aren't allowed to speak. This results in comical situations where they're asked a question, or have to interact with the main cast in some way, but can only do so with a series of elaborate shrugs or facial expressions.
posted by afx237vi at 8:39 AM on March 18, 2011 [1 favorite]


So Jess used to be on this Jim Rome messageboard (yeah...whatever) that I frequented ca. 2001-2005 or so. It wouldn't surprise me if he were still around. Everyone abused him for being a fat nerdy kid, but he was pretty much teflon - he knew he wasn't the best actor or great looking and seemed pretty happy about his occasional gigs. He's definitely not the sharpest guy, but a decent person.

It was kinda hard to explain to my girlfriend how I "knew" that guy in the commercial by his message board handle.
posted by mbd1mbd1 at 8:40 AM on March 18, 2011 [1 favorite]


He's either ordinary looking in a distinctive way, or distictive looking in an ordinary way.
posted by ThatCanadianGirl at 8:44 AM on March 18, 2011 [2 favorites]


that (via) should also link to reddit, kottke, a bazillion twitter feeds, /b and even cnn. this has been absolutely everywhere for days.
posted by krautland at 8:47 AM on March 18, 2011


I can see where someone who's really determined to break into show biz (he's been in LA for over a decade) and has a distinctive appearance could pile up the extra credits. I lived in Memphis around the time that several movies were shot there (The Firm, The Rainmaker, Cast Away, The People vs. Larry Flynt, etc.) and it seemed like literally half of my friends and acquaintances had been in one movie or another. They were willing to endure the long lines and endless delays in order to be able to point themselves out on the screen for the two seconds that the camera panned past them.
posted by Halloween Jack at 8:52 AM on March 18, 2011


Is it kind of a problem for him now that people recognize him and therefore might find him a distraction? I mean, extras are meant to fill a scene without distracting from the action, right?
posted by mccarty.tim at 8:53 AM on March 18, 2011


I think he actually speaks once in a while on Community.
posted by kmz at 9:01 AM on March 18, 2011


Oh crap, that wasn't actually him. Doh!
posted by kmz at 9:04 AM on March 18, 2011


Anything can be made to sound epic by playing the Requiem for a Dream theme in the background.

Yes yes, the orchestral remix.. shoot me.
posted by TheOtherGuy at 9:06 AM on March 18, 2011 [1 favorite]


I'll see your Big Ron and raise you a Winston.

Yeah, you've probably got me there... I've always been gutted that Big Ron missed out on being in Dr Who. Who remembers Mandy now? No one!

This results in comical situations where they're asked a question, or have to interact with the main cast in some way,

Ah yes, the nod and smile whilst buying a pint in the pub or a loaf in the shop is always a special moment
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 9:08 AM on March 18, 2011


Six degrees of Jesse Heiman? Or four, or three?
posted by howling fantods at 9:26 AM on March 18, 2011


papercrane: He's still got a long way to go to pass Samuel L. Jackson (132 titles as an actor according to IMDB). Anyone want to figure out how many titles they've been in together?

For finding out this kind of thing, you can append 'workedwith' to an actor's IMDb bio and it will give you the link to find out. Unfortunately there are no results for a Sam Jackson + Jesse Heiman collaboration. Yet.

Fizz: Is not John Wayne the actor with the most film credits? Something like 140+ films?

For acting (not voice acting) I usually use Tom Mix who has 315 to his name.
posted by komara at 9:47 AM on March 18, 2011 [2 favorites]


Bit part ≠ extra.
posted by shakespeherian at 9:52 AM on March 18, 2011


According to the Oracle of Bacon, he's got a Bacon number of 2:

Jesse Heiman was in Old School with Luke Wilson
Luke Wilson was in Telling Lies in America with Kevin Bacon
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 10:39 AM on March 18, 2011


Now, that's the one with the beret and the walrus-looking mustache, right?
posted by symbioid at 10:47 AM on March 18, 2011


Danny Trejo
posted by Navelgazer at 11:35 AM on March 18, 2011


That Reddit thread has some good stuff in it:

Lycurgus 1 point 1 day ago[-]
Who the fuck is Jesse Heiman?

Jesseheiman [S] 111 points 1 day ago[-]
whoever you want me to be

posted by adamdschneider at 11:49 AM on March 18, 2011


He looks like a Gary Larson cartoon character.
posted by Catfry at 1:42 PM on March 18, 2011 [6 favorites]


He looks like a Gary Larson cartoon character.

I want to favorite this comment a hundred times.
Link instead
posted by spock at 2:25 PM on March 18, 2011 [1 favorite]


It looks like he has lines in some of those clips, which would make him an under-five or a day player.
posted by notmydesk at 5:47 PM on March 18, 2011


I bet someone NOTABLE spread the word that he was good luck. You know how those acting people are.
posted by Twang at 9:21 PM on March 18, 2011


adamdschneider: "That Reddit thread has some good stuff in it:

Lycurgus 1 point 1 day ago[-]
Who the fuck is Jesse Heiman?

Jesseheiman [S] 111 points 1 day ago[-]
whoever you want me to be
"

I liked this one:

ObscureSaint
Dude, you never age. Which leads to my question:
How many immortals did you kill last year in order to keep your head?


Jesseheiman
none that I recall

wantonballbag
He's so badass he dosen't even remember. My god.
posted by deborah at 9:41 PM on March 18, 2011 [1 favorite]


He's got a very distinctive head. I suspect that's the kind of thing that gets you a lot of extra work.

I would have thought that might work against him - casting directors don't really want the same heads popping up in the background of every show!
posted by crossoverman at 12:59 AM on March 19, 2011


deborah: Ha ha, yes. He doesn't care about the game. He doesn't care about the rules.
posted by adamdschneider at 7:49 AM on March 19, 2011


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